Gay Disney Week Entertainer Guide

One exciting aspect of Gay Disney Week is the live entertainment. Whether you come to the pool parties to hear your favorite DJ’s set or you want to hear live music, the entire week offers so many exciting opportunities for you to party and have fun. Here are the DJs and singers you’ll get to see during Gay Disney Week, which runs this year from June 2-8.

GAY DAYS POOL PARTIES AT THE DOUBLETREE

Gay Disney Week is well-known for the daily pool parties which are held at the Gay Days host hotel, the Doubletree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld. There are pool parties that are held at the main lagoon pool and also special bear parties that are held at the serenity pool. This year there will also be Latin pool parties at the Key West Pool.

The pool parties at the main lagoon pool start off on Wednesday, June 3 at noon with DJ C-Rail. Then, at 5 p.m., DJ Andy Ajar takes over, with DJ Joanie following him at 10 p.m. Andy Ajar returns the next morning for a set from 10 a.m. to noon, with DJ Bret Law next on deck from noon to 5 p.m. DJ Deanne and DJ Remedy will lead you into the evening and night. On Friday, June 5, the DJ lineup starts with Bret Law at 10 a.m., followed by DJ Chomper at noon, then DJ Sinna-G at 5 p.m. and Derek Monteiro at 10 p.m. The lineup on Saturday, June 6 consists of DJ Citizen Jane (10 a.m.-noon), DJ JB Burgos (noon-5 p.m.), DJ J Warren (5 p.m.-10 p.m.) and finally DJ Chi Chi LaRue (10 p.m.-3 a.m.). The final day of parties at the main lagoon pool starts with DJ Citizen Jane again from 10 a.m. to noon, DJ Randy Bettis until 5 p.m., DJ Edil Hernandez from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and DJ Chris Adams closing out the week.

The bear pool parties start on Thursday, June 4 with DJ Wendy Hunt from noon to 5 p.m. She will be followed by DJ Neon the Glowgobear at 5 p.m. and DJ Ryan Tiffin at 10 p.m. On Friday, June 5, DJ Jarhead and DJ JB Burgos will play the bear pool party in the morning and afternoon, followed by DeeJay Cosmo at 5 p.m. and DJ D-Stu at 10 p.m. Saturday’s DJ lineup consists of DJ Sergio\V/ (10 a.m.-noon), DJ Maximus 3000 (noon-5 p.m.), DJ Sinna-G (5 p.m.-10 p.m.) and DJ Chris Adams (10 p.m.-3 a.m.). The final day’s sets begin with DJ Jarhead at 10 a.m., DJ Sergio\V/ at noon, DJ Citizen Jane at 5 p.m. and DJ C-Rail at 10 p.m.

The Latin pool parties start on Thursday, June 4 at noon and go on until midnight every day through to Sunday, June 7. The first day’s lineup consists of DJ Sebastian (noon-4 p.m.), DJ Tess (4 p.m.-8 p.m.), and DJ Aracely Manterola (8 p.m.-midnight). On Friday, the DJs will be Nancy Starr from noon to 4 p.m., Gabriel from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Maximus 3000 from 8 p.m. to midnight. On Saturday, DJ Leony from Rumba 100.3 FM will be spinning from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. DJ Tess will provide the music from noon to 4 and DJ Gabriel will take DJ Leony’s place at 8 p.m. Derek Monteiro will start off the DJ sets at noon on Sunday, followed by DJ Tess (4 p.m.) and DJ Gabriel (8 p.m.).

ONE MAGICAL WEEKEND

One Magical Weekend will be set up this year at the B Resort and Spa. In addition to the daily Therapy pool parties (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.) and the signature events (Riptide, Red and the E-Tea Dance), there will also be daily after-hours parties at the B Resort and Spa called Cadabra. Those parties will be held from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, and from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Sunday night.

The DJs for the Therapy pool parties on Friday are Shane Stiel and Alyson Calagna. Shane Stiel is originally from Denver and started his career there over 15 years ago. Today he headlines events in North America and beyond, and has residencies in Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and San Diego. Alyson Calagna is no stranger to Orlando or the circuit party scene in general. Inspired by the world music scene, her sound is instantly recognizable and has earned her top DJing duties at parties in the U.S., Europe and Brazil.

On Saturday, Tony Ruggiero will be opening for Eddie Martinez. Tony Ruggiero, a New York City native, has been DJing for nearly 15 years and his sound can be described as high-energy, having been inspired heavily by the electronic and tech house genres. Eddie Martinez’s tribal house sound has been a hit for years in clubs all over the world. A protege of the late Peter Rauhofer, Eddie Martinez has performed with many of the world’s top DJs. He was named the #1 DJ You Should Know by OUT Magazine in 2012.

Chris Camuso opens for Bryan Reyes at the Therapy party on Sunday. Chris Camuso, once a resident DJ at the famous Stonewall Inn in New York City, is well-known for his DJ sets at low and high tea at Fire Island Pines each summer. Bryan Reyes’s sound is described as very intimate and sensual, which always leaves people wanting more. He was originally inspired by freestyle and New Wave, and is particularly well-known in Florida, DJing in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale for many years.

Riptide will be held at Typhoon Lagoon on Friday, June 5 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Phil B and Joe Gauthreaux will be DJing this signature event. Phil B started his career over 25 years ago in Australia before going back to the United States and becoming well-known in his hometown of San Francisco. He has played some of the hottest clubs on both coasts, from Miami to Los Angeles to Fire Island. Joe Gauthreaux, originally from New Orleans, made a name for himself as the resident DJ of Oz on Bourbon Street. Ever since moving to New York City, he has headlined events across the world.

DJ Paulo will headline Red: Unmasked, Version One, which will be held at Epcot on Saturday, June 6 from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. Originally from Portugal, DJ Paulo has held residencies at clubs across Europe and in the United States, including but not limited to Score in Miami Beach. Many of his remixes have topped the Billboard dance charts, including Christina Aguilera’s “Not Myself Tonight” and Inaya Day’s “Lift It Up.”

The E-Tea Dance at Epcot happens on Sunday, June 7 at 2 p.m. and goes on through 9:30 p.m. The headlining DJ at this event is DJ Grind (Stephen Massey), a “DJ of the Year” nominee last year as chosen by JustCircuit Magazine. Last year he headlined ten of the largest gay dance parties in the world, ranging from the White Parties in Miami and Palm Springs to gay pride celebrations as far-flung as Mykonos and Sydney.

For the people who love after-hours parties, the Cadabra parties are being hosted at the B Resort and Spa for your enjoyment. On Friday, the headliners are Alexander and Alex Acosta. Alexander, originally from Los Angeles, started working as a DJ at the age of 19 and has since headlined at parties across the United States and even as far away as Thailand. Alex Acosta, from Mexico, is one of the top DJs in Latin America, having played to crowds in Mexico, Brazil, the U.S., Canada, and even Shanghai, Tokyo and Taipei. A remix he produced for singer Kristine W. reached the top of the dance charts.

Saturday’s parties will be headlined by Twisted Dee and DJ Flowers. Twisted Dee (Dee Martello), originally from Long Island, became a much-sought after DJ in New York City before traveling the world. She now holds residencies in New York City, Atlanta and San Francisco. DJ Flowers (Jorge Flores Sanchez) is well-known as a drag queen as well. As “Nina Flowers,” she competed on RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2009. He has been a DJ for over 25 years and holds residencies in Denver, California, Boston and New York City.

The final night’s DJ lineup consists of Abel and Alain Jackinsky, with a special performance by Power Infiniti. Abel is one of the hottest DJs to ever spin in South Beach, with past residencies at the clubs Paragon and Salvation. He’s well-known for giving his sets that special something he likes to call “cha-cha.” Alain Jackinsky, originally from Montreal, describes his music as tribal house meets “old-school.” He has headlined Divers-Cité in Montreal as well as Toronto World Pride and parties across the United States, Brazil, and Europe. Power Infiniti is the performance persona of Dale Wilson. He is well-known for his semi-drag look, which combines female aesthetics with masculine dance movements.

Tickets and VIP packages can be purchased directly through the One Magical Weekend website. Visit onemagicalweekend.com for more information.

PARLIAMENT HOUSE

Parliament House will be inviting three entertainment acts to perform during Gay Disney Week. The first, who will take the stage on Friday, June 5, is Color Me Badd. Originally a quartet, the lineup is currently a trio, consisting of members Mark Calderon, Kevin Thornton and Bryan Abrams. The group had a string of Top 20 hits in the early 1990s, including the #1 singles “I Adore Mi Amor” and “All 4 Love,” as well as the multi-million selling smash “I Wanna Sex You Up.” After disbanding in 2000, the group reunited as a trio in 2011. Tickets for this performance cost $20 ($50 for VIP, which includes meet and greet and photo op).

On Saturday, June 6, the girl group Wilson Phillips takes the stage. Daughters of pop royalty, the trio consists of sisters Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson, and Chynna Phillips. Their first album went multi-platinum in 1990 and three of their singles topped the charts: “Hold On,” “Release Me,” and “You’re In Love.” They are Billboard Music Award winners and four-time Gramf.my Award nominees. They will be taking the stage shortly after midnight. Tickets for this performance cost $30 ($79 for VIP, which includes meet and greet and photo op).

Then on the final night of the week, Sunday, June 7, Salt-N-Pepa will be performing their greatest hits. The act consists of a duo: “Salt” (Cheryl James) and “Pepa” (Sandra Denton), who is always accompanied by their DJ, “Spinderella” (Deidra Roper). They broke onto the music scene in 1986 with the release of their debut album and the track “Push It,” which became a worldwide hit. Other popular Top 40 singles by Salt-N-Pepa include “Shoop,” “Whatta Man,” and “Let’s Talk About Sex.” As the final act of the week, they will perform after the Footlight Players’ midnight show. Tickets for this performance cost $30 ($79 for VIP, which includes meet and greet and photo op).

Tickets for all three of these acts can be purchased in advance by going to parliamenthouse.com.

Be sure to read our in-depth guide to Gay Disney Week in next week’s magazine!

Mike Halterman has been the editor of Hotspots Central since its launch in July 2016. He joined the Hotspots Media Group family as editor of Hotspots' South Florida magazine in June 2013. A former "40 Under 40" honoree in The Advocate magazine, Mike lives in the Tampa Bay area.